The Killer Who Loves Me
by Taylor6811
Summary: He had lost their first battle, but the war had just begun. Jackson vowed to become the victor in the end at any cost.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm been dreaming about this story for a while and finally decided to pen it. It's my first story ever, I hope people like it.**

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It was the worst storm in years. The winds blew with the fury to match the boiling rage inside him. Inside his sleek BMW that was expertly hidden from view, a pair of piercing blue eyes glared intently at the soft glow of light coming from the bedroom window of one particular woman, one with soft emerald eyes that belied the steely tenacity beneath.

He hated her, more so than he had ever hated anyone. Never from 12 years in the business had he been so utterly humiliated. It had taken months for him to heal from the bullet wounds and a smooth scar now covered that damned hole in his throat, but sometimes his body still ached and his once clear voice have now taken a raspier, more dangerous edge.

His employers, of course, had been royally pissed. But they also knew that Jackson Rippner was the most successful and ruthless manager that worked in the business, and so they let him off easy. He vowed to kill Keefe himself, and a year after the previous attempt, he finally finished the job. Jackson grinned faintly as he remembered that day. He had used a gun, even though he despised guns because he promised himself to save the knife for _her_.

After that Jackson went back to do the dirty work again for a while, just like the old days when he was an assassin for hire, working under anyone for the hell of it. He relished in the violence, all the while planning his revenge.

Jackson still cannot believe how she managed to beat him. At first glance she seemed all fragile and vulnerable looking, a petite little thing with slim wrists that he could snap in half without much effort. In the eight weeks previous to their fateful encounter, he had studied her life carefully and found nothing unexpected about this girl-woman. She was a recluse, a workaholic, a person he thought would be easy to manipulate. And yet she surprised him.

A fucking Frankenstein pen, he scoffed, the little bitch almost did him in with a kid's pen and then managed to outsmart him again at her dad's house.

Since then, Lisa Reisert had become a fixture in his thoughts. Somehow she wormed her way into his mind and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the memory of her standing above him, those doe-like green eyes starring down at him with a strange veil of sadness. He hated her more for her pity. The years of working in the business had finally cured him from the common emotions that drove other, weaker men. But one look from her made him feel like the murderer they called him, a low life. Jackson reviled at the thought of that smug little bitch thinking he was beneath her.

But all that would change soon, he let out a soft contented laugh. He would teach her to fear him again.

He had lost their first battle, but the war had just begun. Jackson vowed to become the victor in the end at any cost.

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**Enjoyed? Expect longer and meatier chapters in the future. But I just wanted to set everything up. I will update on weekends. Please R/R.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Lisa Reisert loved storms. They seem to make the world new again, washing away the past. If only the tempest tonight would sweep away the memories of the past year along with it. Then maybe she would no longer remember those cold blue eyes.

She closed her eyes again, trying to fall asleep and pulling the covers tighter around her, trying again to imagine that she could wake up tomorrow and realize that this has been all one bad dream…the rape, the physical pain of it, the emotional baggage afterwards, the red eye flight, and of course, Jackson. She had replayed that fateful day too many times trying to remember where her judgment went wrong. After the rape, she had trouble enough learning how to trust again. But one kind gesture from him and a pair of dreamy blue eyes had her heart beating once more. She had actually approached him at the Tex Mex, thinking that he was a nice guy and modern day chivalry wrapped into one safe package. God was she wrong! The worst part was that he had played her for a fool, lulled her into trusting him which turned out, exposed her bruised heart to a beating again.

A flash of lightening and the loud clash of thunder followed, startling Lisa and making her sit up. She padded with weary to her bedroom window, lifting the blinds and peaking through the crack. Outside the trees swayed with the force of the winds but she could not detect anything suspicious.

_Calm down Lisa Reisert! He's not here, you're safe._

She crawled back into bed again and forced herself to shut her eyes, sleep eventually claiming her.

She dreamt of her life before the rape, when she was still the carefree and outgoing Lisa, with a close circle of girlfriends and romantic dates with cute guys. She saw Danny, her boyfriend from college, more of friend than a lover but she had always felt safe with him. In her dream, he was stroking her hair. Lisa sighed, leaning closer to the comforting warmth.

_Leese…_

Danny certainly never called her that before. Lisa's eyes snapped open suddenly with alarm. In the dimness of the moonlit night she could make out a dark figure hovering above her. A silent scream caught in her throat as she realized who he was.

"Hello Leese." Jackson smiled, his bright blue eyes twinkling with some sick pleasure.

"It…it can't be!"

"It is Lisa…I'm back," he laughed softly, mocking her confusion, her anxiety. She felt as if someone had stabbed her in the chest and all of her air had suddenly gone out of her lungs. In her deepest nightmares Jackson would come back to get his revenge but she was still not prepared for the coolness of his breath on her cheek, the dangerous softness of his hand in her hair, and those eyes.

A part of her wanted to give in to that nightmare and end her constant suffering. To close her eyes and let death come to her.

_No!_ She was stronger than that- stronger than him! She must remember that she had defeated this monster before, looked into those obsidian eyes and saw his demise. Slowly with great care, Lisa touched the sharp knife hidden under her pillow, reassured that it was still there. Ever since her last encounter with him, she began keeping a knife under her pillow, its weight reassured her and gave her some semblance of peace while she slept.

"Easy now baby, don't anything stupid," he breathed into her ear, his hand that had been stroking her hair so light now becoming a bruising grip.

"Go to HELL!" Lisa screamed, lifting the knife with all her strength to stab blindly in his direction. Brutal pain assaulted her as Jackson caught her wrist effortlessly and gave it a vicious twist. The dark look he gave her now had lost any former trace of amusement.

"Bitch, I'll make you pay for what you've done to me…"

As if in a trance, Lisa heard the shallow pants from her own body as if from far away and watched Jackson turn the knife to her. The cold blade caressed her cheek so softly, but she knew he could hurt her so easily.

There was no way she could escape from him now. His brutal hold on her, the hardness of his penetrating gaze all combined to suck any ounce of strength left within her. With eyes drifting shut, Lisa leaned into the knife, welcoming its dangerous embrace. She was so tired of hiding and of the fear that constantly followed; maybe death would finally release her from this misery.

Then there was a pause and silence. She could feel his masculine, tobacco scented breath on her cheek still and sigh.

The last thing Lisa heard was his mirthless chuckle as dizziness assaulted her and the blackness took her away.

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So...sorry about the long wait in between updates. I recently moved and got swamped with decorating and etc. I'm back with the story though because my inspiration came back to me, haha. Hope you guys still follow this story. Also, I have a pretty good idea where I'm taking this story but what do you think about the points of view right now? Do you think I should keep Lisa and Jackson's thoughts separated by different chapters like I'm doing now or combine them? Much love~

Please R/R.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

She came back to consciousness languidly, like waking up from a deep dream only something was off and she couldn't put a finger on what felt so wrong. First thing she felt was the blinding headache that felt like an axe splitting her head asunder. The next was the ropes that scratched against her delicate skin. Lisa's eyes opened suddenly in full awareness.

"I never thought you'd give in so easily, Lisa, that's very disappointing."

His words startled her into full comprehension of the situation. Her wrists and legs were tied together crudely and she was lying in her bed still, except the covers now lay in a heap at the edge by her feet.

She looked at Jackson, who was now seated by her, his diabolical gaze hypnotizing her and making it hard to speak. She looked down with sudden horror at her own clothing, noting with relief that it was still intact.

Jackson's humorless laugh followed. "Now if I wanted to do that, I would have done so long ago…"

Feeling her cheeks burn, Lisa managed to calm her trembling vocal cords enough to sneer, "What do you want Jackson? Revenge for hurting your ego? You're so big and strong you had to tie up a woman half your size to subdue her?"

"Revenge is a dish best served cold. Have you heard of that expression before?"

It was then from the corner of her eyes that she saw the knife that he still clutched in his free hand. "You know, I prefer using blades," he continued, deftly maneuvering that cruel instrument of death before her face for emphasis. "They lend such a personal touch to every job. This one isn't a ka-bar, but I think I'll have to improvise. To think you're to die by your own knife, that what I call poetic justice!" The last words were whispered so harshly, she sincerely regretted provoking such a monster.

"Lisa, you know it would have come down to this sooner or later. Did you really think I would let you get away with what you've done? Huh?"

She felt like she was sinking in to a black hole, that same feeling you had in the pit of your stomach when you're going down a 45 degree downward angel in one of those innovative, thrilling rollercoasters. Only this feeling wasn't excitement, it was one of pure unadulterated fear, only multiplied a hundredfold. She had never felt such fear before, neither during the rape nor during any time with Jackson before. Her throat literally felt like sandpaper and she had trouble swallowing puffs of desperate air. Lisa barely heard the pathetic, weak sounds that emerged from her own throat.

He mocked, "Whatever happened to the hellcat I met a year ago, the one that stabbed me with a fucking pen? The one who shot me twice and left me for dead beneath your feet?"

She felt the edge of the blade against her throat. The little hairs on her arms stood straight up as a new wave of terror rose within her. He could end her life so easily. Tomorrow Cynthia would call from work but no one will answer, and Lisa could almost see her dad's stricken face as he came to identify the body.

"P-please," she stammered, barely able to force her struggling vocal cords to cooperate. Moments ago Lisa had wanted to succumb to death; she welcomed it even, for it could erase so many painful memories. Now faced with that imminent danger, her survival instinct took over once again. She suddenly realized how badly she wanted to live, and the Lisa that so courageously fought with Jackson a year ago began to return.

"I don't want to die!" Lisa yelled, her voice returning to her in a fit of urgency.

Silence again, as nothing but his harsh breathing and the force of the storm outside cloaked her. His eyes darkened and she imagined that it became that violent tempest. Then, there was some type of new anger in those eyes she had not seen before.

She felt the tip of the blade slowly run down the column of her throat, past her collarbone and pause, resting above the ugly scar hidden beneath her night shirt.

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He studied her face.

_I don't want to die! _He heard those words hundreds of times before. Targets with blurred faced had whispered the plea in desperation, cried those words in contempt, yet he had hardened his stone heart and finished the job regardless.

Now he paused. He couldn't do it, couldn't end her life and take away the vibrancy of that fighting spirit which he so despised but begrudgingly admired. Her desperate plea shifted some long buried emotion deep inside his soul. He had thought he wanted her dead, even dreamed about spilling her blood. Hatred was an easy sentiment to feel, and therefore, revenge the logical approach. But now faced with finishing the actual deed chilled him to the bones. Her eyes were twin pools of liquid emerald, searing him from the inside out. He couldn't kill her now. Maybe he never could have. Jackson didn't understand this revelation and refused to understand it.

A new type of anger rose within him. Female driven emotions. These are the exact type of _feelings_ that lead men to weakness. And Jackson Rippner was not some weak, bumbling fool. He devoted his entire life to molding himself into a man that only thought with his brain, someone deliberate with every action, and unaffected by silky auburn hair, haunting green eyes, or soft feminine curves.

He could not kill her, but Jackson could still make Lisa hurt.

Slowly, he trailed the knife past the smooth, porcelain skin of her slender throat, past the junction of her collarbones and came to a stop right above that spot she had so desperately hidden from the world. He could feel the scar rubbing against the tip of the blade.

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"I want to live…"

"We don't always get what we want," he countered. Jackson knew it was an empty threat but he'd be damned if she found this weakness. "How did it happen Leese. Was he a big brute or just some punk, or did you even have the nerve to look at him? And in the middle of the fucking day! Did he pull up your skirt and make it hurt? I bet he-

"Shut up!" Her face was now contorted in remembered anguish. Then with renewed determination, she stared straight into his eyes before pushing up with surprising strength. Momentarily startled, Jackson had to move the knife away quickly to avoid piercing the soft skin beneath.

Lisa managed to alleviate his hold on her just enough to kick at his hand. The blade flew from his hold and landed harmlessly across the room. Using all her remaining strength, Lisa leaped towards the door. But the sturdy ropes binding her limbs slowed her down and Jackson soon clutched her hair and yanked.

Feeling as if hair was being ripped from the roots, she tumbled to the floor with him together in a heap of arms and legs. The intimate position was alone enough for Lisa to yell again and again for help.

"Don't make me go after the neighbors!" Jackson warned harshly, though both of them knew the clashes of thunder and the torrential winds would drown out even the loudest screams. His hands now clutched her throat and she could feel every inch of him pressed tightly against her. Yet he did not squeeze her life away as Lisa feared.

Jackson looked pensive, as if greatly conflicted. For a second Lisa could have scorn a look of softness crossed his face. Whatever it was, it was soon replaced by a scowl and a look of steely determination.

He paused slightly. "You're coming with me, Lisa."

At first she didn't understand his meaning. Then as realization dawned, she could only dumbly ask:

"Why?"

"No questions. Unless you want to be a corpse, growing cold by morning."

"I'd rather die and go with you willingly!"

"Well remember, you were the one begging for your life?" Jackson sighed impatiently, "Do you want to live or not?"

Time seemed to slow as she tried to gauge his intentions. Lisa could not fathom what possessed her in that next moment. She simply answered.

"Yes."

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**Yah! A chapter before Sunday! See my muse was with me today and I wipped this chapter out for you. Thank you so much to all the readers and reviews I've gotten. I've a lot planned for this pair and knowing the title of this story, you've probably figured it's gonna be a love story. Well, it eventually will be, but the road there is long and trecherous. There's going to be a ton of angst before the fluff and a some action/adventure in between. Stay tuned for what happens next! **

**As usual, please R/R. Reviews really make my day :-)**


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